Moore: Cowboys felt they couldn't afford to lose CB Brandon Carr

1/11

Michael Ainsworth / Staff photographer

RECAPPING THE COWBOYS' BUSY SECOND DAY OF FREE AGENCY -- Well, this is what Cowboys fan expected when free agency started on Wednesday: A whirlwind of big-time signings (some not as big as others) that should leave Jerry Jones feeling pretty good about the Cowboys' chances going forward. Brandon Carr was the biggest name of all, but the team also came to terms with three other players. They also lost a couple notable names, and missed out on a few free agent targets. All in all, it was a solid day for the Cowboys. Here's a rundown of everything that happened on Day Two.

The object of the Cowboys’ affection agreed to a five-year deal believed to be worth a pinch more than $50 million. The contract makes Carr one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks and represents a significant upgrade for a shell-shocked Cowboys secondary.

The Cowboys didn’t stop there. Quarterback Kyle Orton, fullback Lawrence Vickers and guard Mackenzy Bernadeau also signed on the first full day of free agency. That equals the number of players the Cowboys signed during this period in the previous four years combined.

More will follow as the franchise tries to reverse a trend that has seen it miss the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. Linebacker Dan Connor, tight end Kellen Davis and safety Brodney Pool are also on the team’s radar.

The one, sour note Wednesday was that the Cowboys lost receiver Laurent Robinson to Jacksonville. Club officials hoped to keep Robinson but had resigned themselves to the likelihood he would receive an offer they couldn’t match.

No team was given a chance to match the money Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put on the table to sign Carr. The Kansas City cornerback met with Jones, coach Jason Garrett, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and others Tuesday evening at Cowboys Stadium. The club immediately launched into negotiations that stretched into Wednesday afternoon.

Initial projections were that Carr could command a contract that would average $7 million a season. But that was before Cortland Finnegan agreed to a five-year, $50 million deal with St. Louis and Eric Wright reached a five-year, $37.5 million agreement with Tampa Bay. That was before Carlos Rogers took $31.3 million over four years to stay in San Francisco.

All three of those cornerbacks signed while the Cowboys negotiated with Carr. That increased the urgency.

The club had nowhere else to turn. If Jones was unable to sign Carr, if he missed out on his free-agent priority less than 24 hours after releasing Terence Newman, the Cowboys would have been worse off in the secondary than they had been to end the season.

Jones and the Cowboys couldn’t afford to let that happen. That drove up the price of Carr’s contract.

Carr is the only marquee signing Jones will be able to pull off in free agency. The other moves made Wednesday were more judicious than exciting.

Orton agreed to a three-year deal to replace Jon Kitna as Tony Romo’s backup. The 29-year-old quarterback has played for Chicago, Denver and Kansas City and started 69 games since his NFL career began in 2005. He has completed 58.3 percent of his passes for more than 14,500 yards with 80 touchdowns and 57 interceptions. He has a career quarterback rating of 79.4.

The Cowboys tried to claim Orton off waivers late last season when he was released by the Broncos, but he would up in Kansas City because of the Chiefs’ inferior record.

Vickers signed a two-year deal and will replace Tony Fiammetta, who appears to be an early casualty of the NFL’s decision to strip the Cowboys of $10 million in salary cap room over the next two seasons. Indications were the club would use a $1.26 million tender to retain Fiammetta, but that changed once the league’s ruling came down.

Bernadeau is about to enter his fifth season. The 6-4, 309-pound lineman didn’t play as a rookie for Carolina, but started 20 of 47 games over the last three seasons. He signed a four-year deal and will compete for time at guard.

Carr doesn’t have to concern himself with competition. The former fifth-round pick out of Grand Valley State will step is as the starter from Day One. He is a smooth player who excels in press coverage and is considered a much better fit for Ryan’s scheme than Newman.

He’s also durable. Carr started all 64 games in his four-year career with the Chiefs. He had eight interceptions in that span — four last season — and knocked down 60 pass attempts. He totaled 382 tackles in his time with the Chiefs, forced one fumble and recovered six others.

A busy day

The Cowboys signed four players and lost two others on the first, full day of free agency.

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